


Five Conversations

by TheSofterGentlerMe



Series: Finn and The Moms of Power [15]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Anger, Gen, I just want to talk to them, Violence Discussion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:08:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29494086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSofterGentlerMe/pseuds/TheSofterGentlerMe
Summary: Five conversations taking place over the course of several stories through Finn and the Moms of Power as Catra goes to have a little heart-to-heart with some people.
Series: Finn and The Moms of Power [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862320
Comments: 16
Kudos: 23





	1. Bryce

**Author's Note:**

> I originally had this at Teen and Up but I went ahead and changed it back to General. I will say the fifth chapter skirts the line a little but after a little re-write I felt ok changing it.
> 
> Shall we?

Bryce sat at the table in what they called the Bright Moon prison. If anyone had asked why, one of the guards would have pointed out that it didn't have many pillows, the towels and bedding were a low thread count, and there were only two soaps in the bathroom, a scented type and an unscented type instead of the usual wide assortment. The balcony didn't even have a good view. 

Bryce had been in there for a few months during his rehabilitation and he certainly couldn't complain, although he wondered why he was having this break in routine. Normally he'd have been working on some weaving right about then but his Listener had said to expect a guest and then had left the room. He wondered if it was his daughter, Izzy, and looked towards the door in expectation, ready to forgive her for getting him stuck here. The door opened finally and Bryce was surprised and then confused when the person came in and sat down. 

"You look surprised to see me," Catra said as she placed a manilla folder on the table and folded her hands on top of it. "Expecting someone else?"

"My daughter," he said simply.

"Yeah, she's not coming," Catra said with a snort. "I came up to see how you were coming along, figured we'd have a talk."

"I wish to speak to my daughter as is my right. I've sent several requests," Bryce said. 

"Alright, Bryce, I guess your Listener is about to be ticked off at me cause you're not supposed to hear this until later. Izzy doesn't want anything to do with you. She said it the night you got dragged up here after she knocked you down in my backyard and she hasn't changed her tune," Catra said. "I partly came up here to tell you to stop trying to send her letters by way of Nicoleta as well. She's fed up with it as well."

Bryce crossed his arms as he said, "Are you telling me you're blocking me from my family?"

"Nope. They're doing that themself. I'm just trying to tell you what's what," Catra said. 

"I'll finish this eventually," Bryce said. 

Catra's tail flicked a few times as she said, "Yes, you will. And I know you don't have to take it seriously and you can fake your way through thinking you're going to go right back to what you thought was your life but…"

"You're going to be there to stop me?" Bryce said, his voice snide. 

Catra grinned and said, "No, I don’t need to because Izzy had no problem handling you on her own. I was going to say but I think the world isn't going to be quite like you remember. It may be in your own self interest to take this program seriously."

"What's going to change so much?" Bryce said. Catra tried not to grin as she slid the manilla envelope to him as she stood up.

"What is this?" Bryce said, picking it up as he looked at her as she walked towards the door.

"Announcement of your divorce," Catra said as she opened the door to leave. "Emma's taking her program seriously it looks like. I just got lucky enough to be the messenger. Have a good day."


	2. Snow-By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra goes for a visit to Snow-By to follow up on the sentence she passed on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shall we?

"This better not be a rehash of your visit to Bryce," Elias, the head Listener for Bright Moon, said as they walked with Catra down the hall.

"I just delivered the guy his divorce papers. It wasn't that bad," Catra said. 

"You screwed with months of work is what you did and I don't appreciate it. We help, we don't punish," Elias said. 

"It wasn't punishment! It was just facts! And besides, this one knows I'm coming right?" Catra said. 

"Yes, and he didn't seem surprised even though he's only been here a couple of weeks," Elias said. 

"Because I told him I'd come see him," Catra said. 

They stopped outside the door and Elias pointed right at Catra. 

"Behave. I will happily never allow you in here again if you pull any stunts."

"I won't," Catra said.

"I deal with people and tricky language for a living so you better restate that. You won't do what?" Elias said as the feathers on their head started to rise in irritation. 

"Pull any stunts," Catra said.

Elias stepped back and gestured at the door, their feathers still sticking up. Catra nodded and walked in to see Snow-by sitting on a cushion and reading a book. He started to get to his feet when Catra gestured and said, "No, you don’t have to get up. Stay there."

She pulled a chair over and sat backwards on it. 

"You really are checking up on me?" Snow-by said as he closed the book.

"Just like I said I would. Did you think I wouldn't?" Catra said. 

"I thought you, or someone, would be here to…," Snow-by said before trailing off.

"Mercilessly beat you for abandoning a little kid on the streets?" Catra said. 

Snow-by nodded. 

"No, I'm not doing that. Not that I don't want to, and trust me, I really do, but I gave you a chance and you're going to get it," Catra said. 

"Can I ask if Finn and the rest are doing ok?" Snow-by said. 

"Are you planning on trying to be a part of their life?" Catra said. 

"No. Besides, I don't think they'd want me to anyway," Snow-by said. 

"Then why do you care?" Catra responded. 

"Because… because I wanted to see that they were all ok," Snow-by said. "That I didn't make things worse."

"You and your little friends scared the hell out of them but no, I don't think they're doing worse," Catra said.

Snow-by let out a little sigh of relief as he said, "That's good."

"Enough about Finn. I’m here about you. What do you plan to do when you’re done with this?" Catra said. 

"I don't have any real plans just yet. I thought about being a Listener but I don’t think I’ve got it in me. Maybe go work for that community group in Seaworthy, Crab Corner’s Community Center. Have you heard of them?” Snow-by said.

Catra, who was partly the reason it existed, just said, “I’m familiar with them, yes.” 

“I don’t know, Elias said I should think of some but not to worry too much. Said I'll probably change my mind a few times as I work through this whole thing," Snow-by said. 

"Elias won't steer you wrong. I'll check up on you in probably a few weeks. Also, if you need me to put in a word for you, I will," Catra said as she stood up to go. "Just nowhere in or near Bright Moon."

"Why?" Snow-by said. 

"Because I gave you a chance to be better but that doesn't mean I've forgiven what you did to Finn and I'm not likely to. I'd rather not run into you anymore than I have to and test my patience," Catra said. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say here. Snow-By is the person responsible for Finn being on the streets. I find it weird that knowing that he's also the one that I wrote as the most yearning for some kind of redemption. I think Catra sees that as well and who is she, the woman who led the sack of Salineas and almost ended the world, to deny him that chance?


	3. Blu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra has had her talk with Snow-By and now it's time to check in on the other person that she passed sentence on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shall we?

Elias stood with their arms crossed as Catra left the room. 

"What!? No stunts, as promised! I even offered him help!" Catra said. 

"In a roundabout way," Elias said. "I'm not happy with the way you said it."

"I'm not a trained Listener, I'm just keeping a promise to him that I gave when I gave him my part of his sentence. Now I'd like to visit Blu for the same," Catra said as they started walking.

"Could you avoid telling her how much you dislike her?" Elias said. 

"I can try but I really don't like her. Besides don't you Listeners encourage honesty and straightforward talk?" Catra said.

"We do but the way you do it seems almost... hostile," Elias said.

Catra snorted as she said, "Perfuma has said as much to me. I swear though that I'm doing this in their interest."

"And your own," Elias said as they stopped outside another door.

"True but there's is in there as well," Catra said.

Elias just shook their head and pushed the door open and Catra walked in. Stretched out on a chaise longue was a young woman who looked vaguely like Izzy but with enough of a difference to not be a perfect copy. Catra stood and stared at her for a long moment and the woman moved a little uncomfortably on the lounge. 

"Did I screw up in giving you my sentence?" Catra said. 

"No, I'm trying like you said," and the voice that came out was very close to Catra's voice.

"Nope, not happening. Only one person gets to imitate my voice and she's my wife. Shift back to your default," Catra said. The young woman sighed and shifted to a tall woman with blue hair and blue swirls across her skin. 

"I'm so  _ bored _ though!" Blu said. 

"Pick another hobby," Catra said flatly. "I'm checking in with you like I said I would. How's it going?"

Blu sat up on the chaise lounge and said, "Honestly much better than I expected. Thank Finn for me for making sure we ended up here instead of another kingdom."

"No, I won't. They don't know I'm here and I won't bring it up if they don't ask," Catra said. 

"What if they decide to talk to me themself?" Blu said 

"They're pretty much grown, that's their choice," Catra said, her ears flattening back a little and her tail swishing.

"I'm not trying to needle you. I was just curious. Bored like I said," Blu said as Catra leaned against a column. 

"Want something to read? A game?" Catra said. 

"Got all that. I'm just used to being able to roam wherever I feel like, in whatever form I felt like, and this is driving me up a wall," Blu said. "I know, consequences, but it doesn't make it easier."

"Well bring it up with Elias. I'm just seeing how you're coming along on the sentence I gave you," Catra said. 

"I'm not sure how I'm supposed to make myself and the world better sitting in here," Blu said. 

"It's for every day of your life. You've still got a lot of life in front of you," Catra said. "Not every day is going to be progress. Some days are just trying to make it through."

"You know, I've been sitting here thinking about what you said in your sentence and I kind of half convinced myself that you were full of it," Blu said looking at Catra thoughtfully. "You're not, are you? You really are under the same 'sentence'? You really are trying aren't you?"

"You thought it was something I just made up?" Catra said.

"At the time, no. Sitting here with time to think? Yeah," Blu said. 

"Get used to that. People who know you or your reputation are going to be distrusting you and you can't let that screw you up," Catra said. 

Blu shrugged and shifted to some squat looking guy as she said, "Well the advantage for me is I don't have to be me."

Catra looked at her before she said quietly, "Yes, you do. You can hide all you want but you can't get away from yourself no matter how good a mask you put up."

Blu shifted back again and said, "You're cheerful."

"I'm not your friend; I'm not here to cheer you up but I will tell you exactly what I think," Catra said. 

"You don't want to be my friend? I'm hurt!" Blu said with a laugh. 

"I'm already friends with a shape shifting trouble maker and one's my limit," Catra said as she got ready to go.

Blu sighed as she said, "Well, thanks for dropping by at least. It's kind of nice to be proven wrong and you really are serious about this."

"Not everyone is a horrible person only out for themselves," Catra said. "Think better of people. They'll surprise you."

"Is that from personal experience?" Blu said.

"Yeah. Someone thought better of me and I surprised them. And while I don't like you and probably won't ever like you that doesn't mean I can't do the same for you," Catra said as she left. 

Blu looked at the door for a long time before she quietly said, "Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Out of the two people who get a second chance from Catra in _To Strive, To Seek, To Find, and Not To Yield_ I always thought Blu was the one who'd be most likely to think it was bull and start thinking of a way to backslide. I see the three, Snow-By, Kiwi, and Blu kind of like a scale. Snow-By is on one end, wanting to be better, Kiwi is on the other end, not caring, just marking time until they get out, and Blu is in the middle, wavering on which way to go.


	4. Emma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra travels to the Kingdom of Snows for some work but while she's there, she stops in to talk to Emma and deliver a letter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shall we?

“Princess Catra, it's a pleasure to meet you," Emma said as she sat down on a chair among tall aquaculture racks, the smell of plants and fish strong in the air as she looked at the envelope in Catra’s hand.

“Thanks but you can leave the princess part off,” Catra said before she looked at Beluga, Emma's Listener, leaning against a post. 

“Elias says hello,” Beluga said with a grin. 

Catra laughed as she said, “I’m terrified to know what they said.”

“Not as bad as you’d think or you wouldn’t be sitting there,” Beluga said. Catra nodded and turned back to Emma. 

“I’ll say thank you for meeting with me,” Catra said as she handed the envelope over to Emma. “Although I have a feeling this had a lot to do with it.” 

Emma took the envelope carefully from her hand as she looked down at Izzy’s handwriting on it. 

“Not entirely,” she said, her eyes not coming off the envelope. “But yes, it was a large part of it.” 

“I can go if you want to read it right now,” Catra said. 

“No, I have work to do and these can be a bit emotionally hard to deal with. I’ll read it tonight,” Emma said as she held the envelope to her chest for a moment, her eyes closed, before unzipping her jumpsuit and tucking it into an interior pocket and looking back up.

“I bet. Izzy doesn’t pull her punches,” Catra said. “I’ve only known her for a little while and I think she’s pretty amazing.”

“I’ve known her for her whole life and I didn’t know that until recently,” Emma said quietly. 

“Then be glad she’s giving you the chance to learn it,” Catra said. 

Emma looked at her and started to speak before stopping a few times. She finally said, “Could you maybe tell me something about her?” 

Catra weighed telling her about Izzy facing off against an infamous smuggling captain or traveling into the Crimson Waste or charging into a house to save Finn while screaming a wordless challenge to the world but decided Emma probably didn’t need to hear that at the moment and besides Izzy might want to tell those stories herself some time. 

“Ummm, ok, so I’ve known her, kind of, for several years now. She started going to Finn’s theater group and doing backstage work and I have to say, that kid has some serious talent when it comes to working out problems and getting stuff built. The group doesn’t have people in leadership, everyone tries to rotate through that sort of stuff, but she’s the de facto head of the backstage group and she didn’t even really recognize that until recently,” Catra said. 

Emma smiled as she said, “She mentioned she was doing theater stuff in one of her letters but she didn’t say anything like that.” 

“I guess she does pull her punches in some things,” Catra said. “She’s pretty quiet normally, even now, unless she knows you well. When's she comfortable with someone though... well, she won’t stop teasing me about something, I'll tell you that.” 

Emma got a concerned look as she said, “I’m sorry about that.” 

“About her teasing me?” Catra laughed. “No, that’s fine. I’m glad she does, it means she’s comfortable with me. I’ve only seen her really open up with a few people immediately.” 

“Like Finn?” Emma said. 

“Not like I’m thinking, although, yeah, from what Finn’s told me, they did talk pretty easily but that was more shared trauma at first,” Catra said.

“Trauma? Finn has trauma? Oh… you mean…,” Emma said.

“Yes, they do and yes, she does as well but I think you know that,” Catra said. 

“I do. It’s my fault,” Emma said looking down. 

“I know but you had help. You're at least trying to make amends,” Catra said. “Before she went out on the big trip with Finn, I taught her how to fight a little and found out just how much anger is in her.”

"Fight? As in…," Emma said as she mimed a punch.

Catra wanted to say not like that, the punch she taught her was actually effective but just said, "Yeah. As in."

"I guess I got to see that anger a little. She told me she hated me in the most matter of fact way when we first reconnected," Emma said. 

"When I said I was coming up here she immediately asked me to bring her letter with me. So if she still does hate you, she's got a weird way of showing it," Catra said. 

"No, I don't think she does anymore. I think I'm on the tolerated level now," Emma said with a little smile before turning to look at Beluga. "I didn't say it in a run myself down kind of way."

Beluga grinned at her as he said, "No, you didn't but we'll talk about it more later."

Emma laughed and Catra was caught off guard how close it was to Izzy's laugh.

"How it goes but I wouldn't change it," she said. "My whole world went upside down, I have all kinds of problems, but I'm the happiest I've been in years and part of it is because I can say she tolerates me. I don't know what's to come but for once I'm alright with that."

Emma stood up with a smile as she said, "I know you've come a long way but I have pH levels to check and bugs to haul for the fish's dinner. Thanks for talking with me and for the letter."

Catra watched as she put her hand over the spot where the letter was tucked away and realized it was over Emma's heart. She doubted that was unintentional as Catra stood and put her hand out to shake.

"Glad to," Catra said with a smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally wanted to show each letter between Emma and Izzy, at least at first, in the story that I introduced Emma in but then I found that I didn't want to dive into that. I preferred to show the slowing repairing relationship instead as a show of what was going on in the letters.


	5. Ridor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Into the Crimson Waste Catra goes to have a talk with someone that she's wanted to speak to every since she'd found Finn as a young child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shall we?

Catra walked into the bar, the dust following her in as she stood in the doorway and looked at the figure sitting at the bar by himself. Adora and Finn thought she was out on some work thing, Huntara didn't know she was in the Waste but could be trusted to keep her mouth shut if she found out, and the stun baton strapped to her leg would discourage anyone else from looking too closely. She walked across the floor, her yellow and brown poncho moving with her and her bare feet making a quiet noise as she came to a stop at the bar and leaned against it to look at the lone figure. 

"Hello, Ridor," Catra purred. 

He looked up as he said, "Who in the world… are…"

"Me? You were going to say who in the world am I?" Catra said as she started toying with a jar of pickled prickly pear fruits.

"No, I was just…'" Ridor said before trailing off as Catra sat her hand on his shoulder. 

"You seem confused. Let me clear that up. Elliepurr says hello. Or who knows, maybe she doesn't. I'm not sure what she'd say if she knew I was here. Or my wife for that matter. She’d probably have something to say about it," Catra said as she gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze with an unfriendly grin. "See, Ridor, that's the thing. No one who's arguably a good grounding influence on me knows where I am or what I'm up to."

"I… I don't understand," Ridor stammered. "I mean, I know you're… but what does that have to do with her? Or me?"

"You really have just been pickling your brain out here all these years haven't you? No thought to trying to fix what you broke. Just hiding and drinking, hiding and drinking," Catra said as she let go and prowled around him, one hand patting the stun baton. "Finn, you miserable excuse for a person. Finn and Elliepurr is what this has to do with because Finn's my child and Ellie is my friend and you, oh, you did something awful to both of them. You're the start of a chain that never should have been forged. Did you think you'd get to just sit there with your little drink?"

Catra stopped at the other side of him and casually dragged her claws across the bar top, scoring it in four even rows.

"Did you think you wouldn't have to face some justice?" she whispered. 

"I… it was… you don't…," Ridor said.

"Let me finish those for you. 'I am not fit to draw breath, it was terrible what I did, and you don't have to show me an ounce of mercy.' Was that what you were trying to say?" Catra said as Ridor began shaking as he looked at her but couldn't speak. "I asked you a question. Answer me."

"Wait, please," Ridor said. 

"Why should I!? You didn't! You told her that her child was dead and then left her in the desert all alone! You left Finn on a smuggler's ship after lying about how you weren’t their father and didn't look back! You didn't show them kindness or mercy so why should you get any? I’ve asked around, you’re a fixture here and have been for years. You haven’t shown any remorse or tried to atone in any way whatsoever," Catra said as she yanked the mug out of his hand and tossed it behind her. Then she stepped forward, pulled the stun baton and pressed it into their side with her face inches from his.

"Why shouldn't I turn this on and hold it on you until the battery melts?" she whispered. 

"No, hang on…," he began to whisper.

"She stood in the yard of that crappy shack you left her at and screamed your name at the sky, hoping you'd come back," Catra whispered back. "She did it day after day until her voice was raw and still she did it "

"But really, you don’t…," he tried to say.

"They still have a hard time to this day trusting people. They had nightmares that woke them screaming for years. You couldn't even tell them who you were when you were face to face with them," Catra said. "What do you think you can say that'll hold back the rightful vengeance of my hand?"

He stood there shaking and tears started to track down his face. 

"Really? Tears won't save you. They both cried. You didn't care. Neither do I," she said. 

The click of the trigger on the stun baton was quiet but it was the only sound in the bar. Ridor flinched backwards and fell to the ground, cowering. When he realized the baton wasn't firing, that his nerves weren't screaming channels of fire, he looked up at Catra. She sat the baton on the bar and shrugged.

"I guess I forgot to charge it," she said. "See, nothing you can say would sway me from ending you in the most awful way I can imagine but you're lucky because there's multiple people who think better of me than that and their opinion of me matters. So I'm going to be kind. 

"You have two choices. First choice, I leave you here. I'll even get the next round for you. Second choice, tell me you know you did wrong. Tell me you want another chance, that you want to try and change, and I'll take you back to Bright Moon to start rehabilitation. You don’t even have to be sincere about it. You just have to take one step. Which is it going to be?"

There was quiet in the bar again as she knelt down to listen to him mutter something. She gave a little mirthless laugh as she stood and picked up the stun baton before going over to the bartender for a few minutes. As she started towards the door she said, "You made your choice. Enjoy your drink and never forget, I know where you are and one day I might decide I can live with those people having a little less respect for me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This started as a fic strictly for my wife and it started with this chapter. She really, REALLY does not like Ridor and she was mad that I just kind of left them sitting in the bar in the last story he was in. I joked with her that don't worry, I'm sure Catra will go have a conversation with him once Finn tells their story. Then I went ahead and wrote this, although the original draft was a little different (not drastically so), for her and it gave birth to the other four. She's still not completely happy with how it ends, she wants him dead, but she at least said it was a bit more satisfactory.

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a fic just for my wife because she wanted to see Catra have a conversation with Ridor. I wrote that and then realized I could do five conversations of Catra visiting people after events in the various stories. So here we go!


End file.
